Chapter Text
Lord Sullivan knew that he wasn’t in his home with his hellgrade tea.
The sudden gust of wind and energy that pushed him up into a glitching magic circle gave it away.
And suddenly, he found himself in a human home. Somehow the house was sparkling clean except for the area that the two humans were standing in.
The area around them was covered in empty snack bags and clear wrappers. The chalk circle he was standing in was right over a huge stain that smelled of alcohol in the carpet.
The summoning circle itself was amateur to the last line of chalk because of how shaky it was. Especially since it was drawn on what looked like cardboard instead of the hardwood floor.
The two desperate humans looked at each other and celebrated his appearance. Sullivan wanted to cock his head in confusion since their fear melted away into happiness at her summoning.
Oh right. Of course the two greedy human beings wanted something from him. Some contract to keep themselves busy.
“Oh my goodness!” The man shouted with a grin. “It actually worked, honey!”
“We can get what we want,” the woman, Sullivan assumed she was the man’s wife or partner, responded.
“What is it you want?” Sullivan corrected his demonic language to Japanese using a spell for the humans to understand him. He would stake the spell off when the deal they ‘need’ was finalized.
The woman smiled, “We want riches so we won’t have to worry about working.”
“I see,” Sullivan narrowed his eyes. It was a very selfish and greedy wish since the two seemed to be living just fine. His gaze traveled to their unblemished hands that looked soft with no callous at all. Were they even working now? The only thing under their fingernails was orange dust, not anything resembling dirt.
“What will you give me in return?” Sullivan asked.
“Our son, Iruma, will be your payment,” The man replied
What?
“Do you like souls?” The woman gave a soft smile as if her words weren’t disgusting. “If not, you could probably use him as a servant of some kind.”
“Yeah. He works great doing odd jobs,” the dad said.” He makes a lot of money for us already. He’s very hardworking.”
“And he’s very nice and obedient,” the mother responded, glancing at her husband before looking straight at him like he was the answer to their problems. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”
Sullivan knew he was many things. He was ranked Teth. He was the current principal of Babyls and is known as the strongest member of the Three Heroes.
He was a demon who would be delighted to play around with these humans who would abandon their child at the idea of wealth. Sullivan would love to hear how they beg and scream as hot coals are dropped onto their back and shoved down their throat until their insides are burning.
Who would just offer their child as payment? He had half a mind to take their souls without them knowing...
But with the soul of their child, he could finally have what he always wanted. A grandson. A grandson he could take pictures of and rub it in the other Three Heroes’ faces. He bet the human would be so cute. And all he would need to do is train him up to be a demon in his world.
Opera would help with his training and he would be the amazing teacher who taught him everything he needed to know. And when he could bring his grandson to school, he would succeed in his classes with no issue. No suspicions brought up if he used the perfume on him... except for maybe his lack of horns and wings.
Ah, he’ll figure it out for his grandson.
“Where is the one named Iruma?” He asked.
He received an answer for them that made his knuckles clench. Their child was living out in the forest in a tent while they lived in the house because ‘the forest is closer to Iruma’s job’.
He couldn't wait for the amount to run out. They never specified it for the rest of their lives. And from the desperation and desire in their gazes, he knew the two would blow through the money he gave them in less than five years.
“The deal is satisfactory,” Sullivan said as he whisked away the spell he casted on them. They both looked confused before the floor around them began to fill with endless amounts of paper money. He could hear their joyous laughter as they dived into the paper money while it disappeared from the circle.
Now it was time to collect his new grandson.
*
Iruma knew he was starving.
The noises from his stomach and the ache in his body were very present like it was loudly screaming at him to eat. He already ate from the fallen berries he could find and the grass and leaves he deemed edible enough.
But it was barely enough to fill him especially since he had rationed it out for the next few days. So three berries, a pinch of leaves and a handful of grass was the only thing he ate for dinner.
Iruma curled up further to ignore the ache in his body from working all day at his job. They didn’t even question his age and got him right to work. Sometimes he really wished they would question why he was so young working at their construction company. He wished someone would notice and at least get him a fast food job or a simple janitor job.
He knows how to deal from the practice he has done with his parent’s house. But they didn’t notice. Or they did but didn’t care.
It always happened with the places he worked at. No one was worried about the eight year old kid dodging fallen wooden panels or barely avoiding a misfire from a nail gun.
Nobody would care that his stomach was rumbling during lunch. There was that old woman who made him a bento when he worked at her tailor shop. But that job didn’t last long since his parents pointed him in the direction of a job with a higher pay.
Iruma groaned as he tucked his arms under his legs to curl up in a ball. He was glad he had his tent. It was better than the nights he slept outside to wake up wet with mud in his hair because it rained in the middle of the night.
But... he would have loved to return to that tailor shop. His employer gave him food and offered her own couch for him to nap on. She had cared about him more than his parents did.
Maybe he was being greedy, but he wanted a better life.
Iruma snuggled up on the hard ground that the bottom of the tent did nothing to hide it, but the burlap sack blanket did help cushion it.
He closed his eyes with a yawn, ignoring the pulsing emptiness inside his gut or the dryness in his mouth.
But a crinkling sound outside his tent made him open his eyes wide. No, not another raccoon. He can’t handle his rations being stolen again. Iruma rushed to zip open his tent only to find a very tall shadow greeting him.
He tilted his head up to find a menacing winged figure waiting for him. Iruma swallowed. Did he die in his sleep? Did he spread out his rations too far apart this time?
He swallowed as the winged figure grabbed him under his arms and brought him up to their height. Iruma swung his legs to try and make the creature drop him only to get face-to-face with a terrifying demon... with a mustache.
There was a flash of moonlight reflecting on the frightening figure right before he was sailing through the air in the arm of the demon. He screamed while the demonic figure talked in tongues towards him.
The one thing he heard before he was brought through a blindly purple circle was the demon calling out to him. And this time he could finally understand them past the grumbling demonic voice he heard.
“Hello, Iruma.“
*
Iruma woke up with a gasp, clutching at his chest in shock. He died? He died. He must have. What else was that dream?
Iruma swallowed then noticed how soft the ground of his tent was and how gentle the scratchy burlap sack was. He looked down to find himself in a beautiful, purple bed that stretched out.
His gaze went beyond the bed posts and stared at the open closet filled with new clothes that weren't filled with holes. A tall bookcase stacked with books that reminded him of the time he actually had time to visit the library. And right in the corner of the room was a pile of toys filled with color.
Oh, he did die. How else would he have gotten in this happy afterlife?
His door burst open to reveal the tall winged figure he saw the night before. However as the shadowy figure approached the frightening stance turned into an older man dressed in a purple tailcoat.
Another being followed behind him that wore a servant’s uniform. Their red hair had cat ears poking out with a tail curled up in the air. He stared at the large covered dish on a tray being brought straight to him.
“Here is your breakfast in bed, young master. I’m Opera and I will serve you the same as I do with Lord Sullivan,” Opera said, gesturing to the tall demon that stood at the edge of his bed.
Iruma glanced up at the demon named Sullivan before the scent of the food dragged his attention back to it.
“Dig in, Iruma. I made sure Opera made the best food to welcome you,” Sullivan stated with a smile.
Iruma’s stomach growled and that was the only thing he needed. He dug straight into the food. As he chewed, he felt silent tears gather in his eyes and fall down his cheeks.
It wasn’t long until he finished the tray only for another dish to be waiting in Opera’s hands. With a swift motion, Opera replaced his plate with another piled high with more food.
When he finally finished that, he sipped from the smoking tea that Opera introduced as hellgrade tea. And oh, it was like a delicious hug of warmth in his insides.
After he finished off a few more plates, he finally felt full. His stomach was close to bursting as he sighed into relief from the unfamiliar feeling.
Sullivan stepped forward as Opera carried the dishes out of the room. “Iruma, I’m sure you have questions. You may ask me anything you are curious about.”
“Why am I here?”
“I’m a demon. Your parents made a deal with me. Your soul for riches,” Sullivan replied.
“Of course,” Iruma replied. He wasn’t surprised they sold him. But it was a minor shock that they sold him to an actual demon. He cleared his throat then asked. Where am I?”
Sullivan gestured out the window. Iruma looked to see a sky of reds and oranges waiting for him as a double winged bird passed by. “Your currently in the demon world. It shares similarities with your own world,”
“What do you want with me or... my soul?” Iruma asked, placing a hand over his heart.
“That’s easy,” Sullivan waved his hand. “I want you to be my grandson.”
“What?”
“If you don’t want that, I can bring you back to the human world when I can. But I’ve always wanted a little grandson to spoil,” Sullivan explained. He pulled out a roll of paper from behind his back, letting it unroll to reveal the adoption certificate staring at him. “So will you please consider signing this adoption certificate?”
‘Please.’
‘Iruma, can you please help me sew this stitch? I need two hand for this.’
‘Please help with this hinge? I would appreciate it, kid.’
“I really need your help to satisfy my grandfatherly urges. Please, I beg of you,” Sullivan begged with watery eyes.
‘I beg of you.’
Iruma bit down on his lip as the begging and pleading woods hit him right in his chest. Sullivan’s pleading gaze was enough for him to fold into the request.
“Yes.”
“Ah,” Sullivan hummed as Iruma signed his name on the certificate. “Don’t worry, grandson. I’m going to spoil you so much.”
“I—“
“I’ll homeschool you myself and Opera will teach you as well. You’ll learn everything about this world and how to survive in it!” Sullivan explained with a bounce in his step. He grabbed a stuffed animal from the pile of toys and smothered him in its soft fur. “You’re going to be a full fledged demon in no time.”
He’s not going to regret this, is he?